


The Difference Between Devils and Men

by youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Eren's kinda crazy, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, Jealous Eren Yeager, Jean is an ass, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, Marco is a Sweetheart, Masturbation, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Minor Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Reiner Braun, Possessive Eren Yeager, Reiner Braun Is Clueless, Reiner's in over his head, Sasha and Connie are Idiots, Slow Burn, everyone is 18 or older, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:41:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant/pseuds/youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant
Summary: Reiner Braun never meant to form connections during his time in Paradis. He only wanted to get in, complete his mission, and go home. He didn’t mean to find a partner. He didn’t want to find love. He just wanted to complete his mission.. He just wants to go home.. Right?OR Reiner and Eren find that the spark between them is easily lit and burns a little too hot.This fic does contain events from season 4, so be wary reading if you are not caught up yet!
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Reiner Braun/Eren Yeager
Comments: 17
Kudos: 122





	1. Unexpected Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I saw some fan art on twitter by @beckymastery (I'll leave the link at the end of the chapter) and this fic kinda just wrote itself. I want to say I'm about half way through writing the whole thing, but I wanted to get this part up since I'm satisfied with it. It looks like overall the chapters are going to be kind of short, but that's alright.
> 
> Let me know what you think!!

When Reiner inherited his titan, he never thought his loyalty to Marley would waver. There was no other way of life; his service was the only thing that mattered. Why did some insignificant demons in Paradis have to ruin that for him? Reiner threw his arm over his eyes as he laid in bed, nightmare fresh in his mind. Why did those damn people split his loyalty; why does it feel like he left a part of him back with the scouts? Accusing eyes from his nightmare flashed through his mind, landing on a particular pair of blue eyes that glared at him with hate so palpable it made Reiner’s pulse jump.

He exhaled and sat up, resting his head in his hands. His skull pounded, the fists of those he left behind beating away at his mind until everything became a blur. Reiner rarely experienced any kind of clarity anymore, stumbling through his days without real meaning. All he had the energy to focus on was finishing his duties to an acceptable degree, but as more time passed, he began to lose the reason for doing even that.

His eyes began to focus and he glanced across the room, attention drawn to one area in particular. He looked up at the gun leaning in the corner and thought back on his pathetic attempt to end his suffering. He was so close to being at peace, but it turned out like everything else Reiner attempts - a failure. In the end he had pulled the gun out of his mouth, set it in the corner and went to bed, exhaustion making him pass out almost immediately.

Reiner tore his eyes away from the taunting machine, and got dressed, knowing he had duties to complete before the night’s festivities. He moved swiftly, though his eyes remained vacant, completing his tasks with little engagement. Attend a meeting, sign some paperwork, deliver a message; none of it mattered. The most enjoyable thing Reiner did all day was volunteer to help finish some of the last minute trinket booths for that evening. Being able to hammer away at the wooden beams allowed Reiner to release some of the building tension that had settled almost permanently in his muscles. The stretch and burn from use wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to occupy his mind, and for that he was grateful.

Evening was fast approaching, and Reiner excused himself to freshen up and change into his required uniform - one that was more suited to the night’s affair. He looked in the mirror and saw the shell of the man he once was. He hated the way his strong body hid his suffering from everyone, even though that physical power was the one thing that kept him alive. His body was in top form, large muscles stretching over every limb; he looked as healthy and viril as a man could. It was only in his eyes that anyone would see that lack of a spark that indicated an interest in life.

He winced at the look in his eyes and turned away, not wanting to get caught in his own haunting gaze. Eventually, he wandered out of the building towards the streets marked for the festivities. Reiner kept his head down, watching the uneven bricks under his feet. He just wanted the night to be over as quickly as possible.

His head snapped up and he whirled when he felt something grab his arm.

Falco stared up at a wide-eyed Reiner, panic clear on the man’s face. “Sorry for scaring you. I called your name a bunch but I guess you didn’t hear me… I thought I’d see if you wanted to walk around the festival with us.” Falco pointed over his shoulder at the other warrior candidates.

Reiner took a steadying breath, gently removing his arm from Falco’s light grip. “Lead the way.”

They walked through the stalls for hours, trying all the luxurious foods and looking at the special baubles and trinkets for sale. When the sun sank low on the horizon, people began to gather and take seats for the play Willy Tybur was putting on. Reiner excused himself from the group and went to his assigned area, making small talk with other warriors while waiting for the show to start. 

Reiner heard footsteps running towards him and looked up to see a panting Falco. “Can you come with me?” he asked while still bent over, gasping for breath.

“What?”

“Please?”

Someone muttered that there was still a little time left before the show, so Reiner shrugged and began to follow the excited boy. “Can you at least, tell me where we’re going?”

Falco just smiled as he darted through the crowd towards a building, excitement making his pace quick. “A friend wanted to surprise you, so I can’t say!”

Reiner stumbled and had to right himself. That was not an answer he was expecting. He racked his brain trying to figure out who this supposed friend was. He didn’t have many friends, and had even less that lived far enough away that they would have to come and visit.

“Over here! He’s waiting down these stairs,” Falco said, beaming. He knew that Reiner mostly kept to himself, so the thought of reuniting him with a long lost friend just made him so excited! Reiner really deserved a break.

They descended the stairs and opened the door to the little room that sat under the town square. Faint, instinct chattering could be heard from above, indicating that the show hadn’t begun.

“Alright Mr. Kruger, I brought him for you!”

_ Kruger? I don’t think I know anyone with that name… _ Reiner lifted his eyes and scanned the room, stopping on the lone figure sitting in the middle. An eye patch peaked through long, lanky brown hair and a crutch was leaning on the back of the chair. Reiner stared at him for a moment, instinct making him tense up for reasons he couldn’t understand.

Reiner finally met this stranger’s eye as he spoke for the first time. “Hello Reiner. It’s been four years.”

“W-what?” Reiner stuttered. His eyes grew wide at the sound of Eren’s voice coming from this mutilated body in front of him. He took a step backwards, running into the solid brick wall. His head was spinning and it felt like he couldn’t get enough air. The world around him grew darker and darker until he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Falco panicked, dashing to where his idol fell, “We need to get him to a doctor!”

“Don’t worry kid, my associates and I will take care of him. Mikasa? Take him back to the others.”

Falco looked up, only just now realizing that there were two more people in the room. One of them - Mikasa he assumed - put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Kruger, unease apparent in her eyes. Kruger stared her down, narrowing his eyes in some sort of unspoken command, while the other person began to haul Reiner towards an unoccupied chair. 

Mikasa tensed, then relaxed slightly, resigned to whatever command had been given her and led Falco out of the room. He didn’t really feel right about leaving Reiner here in that state; he looked terrified right before passing out. But it’s not like Reiner’s friends would hurt him. Right? Falco felt a blinding pain on the back of his skull and the world went black.

In the basement, Eren’s comrade had finished getting Reiner settled in the chair. Steam was pouring out of Eren’s leg and other various minor injuries where he was sitting in his own chair. “Thanks, that’s all I need for now. I’m going to question him once he wakes… Alone.”

The soldier nodded and left the little room, shutting the door behind him. He left to join the others, knowing that should anything go wrong, Eren had enough fire power himself to take care of it. Eren sat back in his chair, healing his injuries as quickly as possible. He wanted to be fully functional by the time Reiner woke up.

“I’ve missed you Reiner, even after everything that happened.” Eren had the strongest urge to run his hand through the hair of the unconscious man. “I told you I’d find you.”

  
  


[Here's the art](https://twitter.com/BeckyMastery/status/1353847527284613120) by @beckymastery! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. A Few Years Earlier...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes us back to when Eren and Reiner first joined the scouts. In the fic, there is a minimum age of 18 to join the military. All events basically happen a few years later than they did in the show, so that the timeline is relatively similar, they were just older when things happened.

The last band of wagons had just arrived, the people aboard them waiting for their turn to exit. The faces these newcomers wore were the same that had been on recruit arrivals all day long - apprehensive but determined. With the fall of Wall Maria, poverty and food scarcity soared. Most of these young adults had volunteered for the army the second they turned the minimum enlistment age of 18, knowing that it was one of the only ways they would be guaranteed food and a place to sleep at night. In the eyes of these young people, the duty of the army was better than starving to death on the streets. 

All the recruits gathered in neat lines, waiting on bated breath for their turn to be terrorized by Sadies. Reiner was able to ignore the majority of the furious yelling and anxious responses, not interested in the hazing ritual unless it became his turn to endure it. They all waited in the hot afternoon sun until they were released for dinner.

The recruits all made their way to the mess hall, and Reiner’s gaze drifted over to Bertholdt who nodded. They began discreetly observing the other recruits, the mission on their minds. They had come to the conclusion that joining the military would probably prove more beneficial in the long run than trying to locate their target as civilians. They already had a background as warriors, so they were used to the structure that the military provided. Bertholdt had mentioned once that they would be more likely to cover large areas freely and discretely as soldiers than as civilians. Reiner wholeheartedly agreed and they hopped on the closest recruit waggon as soon as they could. Reiner eyes slowly drifted across the various faces, any of whom could be the target for his mission. None of them were remarkable, but there was one that kept drawing his eye.

The person in question was a very plain looking man. He stood a little shorter than Reiner himself, and was fairly lanky. His dark brown hair was nothing special, and laid in a careless cut around his face. Even the man’s blue eyes, though currently twinkling with laughter at something said by the small group around him, were not particularly special. Yet for some reason, Reiner found himself intrigued. 

He shook his head, forcing his gaze away from the unremarkable man and finished his quick observation of those around him. Once he entered the mess hall, he got his dinner and found where Bertholdt was sitting. They muttered their quick observations to each other, keeping well below the raucous level of conversations around them. Their conversation quickly died off with an agreement to keep these conversations as minimal as possible unless they found something.

Reiner pushed the last little bit of his food around on his plate, digesting what little was said. He heard two voices rise above the rest of the noise and looked up. He noticed two of his fellow recruits standing up, seeming like they were about to come to blows. One of the men was the one that had so heavily drawn his gaze outside. Even in the dim light of the mess hall, there was something in the completely ordinary stature of the man that drew his eye.

He watched the spectacle unfold into the inevitable brawl it was headed for, and Reiner looked cooly on, observing both participants closely, excusing it as an opportunity to study what combat skills the two had. The fight was eventually broken up by the two people who seemed to be the smaller man’s friends. The taller man was dragged somewhere outside to cool off, and the shorter one sat on a bench, panting from exertion and wiping the small trickle of blood away from his lip from where it split open from a good hit. 

He stiffened in his seat and turned to scan the room, quickly locking his eyes on Reiner. Shit, Reiner thought, looking down back towards the remains of his meal. He hadn’t meant to stare so hard, let alone get caught. Sometime during the fight, Bertholdt had left, putting away his cleared dishware and turning in for the night, which left the seat across from Reiner open.

“Hey. You got a problem?”

Reiner looked up from finishing the last of his meal to see that the subject of his unexplained interest was in front of him, leaning down with straight arms on the table.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Reiner said cooly.

“You’ve been staring at me all day dude. What’s the deal.” The man narrowed his eyes at Reiner, demanding an answer.

“Oh.. You look like someone I knew from my hometown,” Reiner swiftly lied. “I thought you were him. I was mistaken.”

The man just stared down at Reiner for a moment, before accepting the answer and straightening his posture, offering his hand in the process. “Eren Jeager.”

Reiner grasped the hand and shook it. “Reiner Braun.”

“See ya around Reiner.” Eren said as he turned to head back to the two people who had pulled him out of the fight. They looked relieved that Eren’s antics didn’t land him in another fight. The woman slapped Eren upside the head, saying something with a disappointed look and the three of them exited the building, heading towards the barracks.

Reiner decided that he was also ready to retire for the night, cleaning his mess and heading for his bunk. He climbed in, and stared at the ceiling. As he drifted to sleep, he made a resolution that he wouldn’t let Eren distract him anymore, and would focus solely on his training instead. One day of nonsense was enough.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. ODM Gear Inspection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I know how the ODM gear works? No. Am I going to pretend I do? Yes.

Yelps and frustrated groans filled the training grounds as the recruits began their first day training in the practice omni-directional movement gear. If someone couldn’t master the most basic gear of the scouts, they weren’t worth the time and resources that would be spent to continue training. It would only make sense that this test would be the first thing the recruits were required to pass.

Most of the users had some degree of struggle to begin with, but quickly figured out just how the mechanisms of the ODM gear worked in cooperation with their movements and sense of balance, and began to hover in midair effortlessly. By the end of their training the first day, just over half were ready to be inspected for their ODM check. The inspection would take place the following evening before dinner, whether they were ready or not; and if someone wasn’t able to pass, they would be instructed to pack up their meager belongings and leave.

The mess hall that night had a mixed air about it. The recruits who felt they were ready for the inspection were relatively relaxed, confident that their spot in the scouts was secure for at least one more day. Everyone else released their worried tension in one way or another, resulting in some loud voices and some muted ones and some pockets where nothing was being said at all, where conversation just bounced off of the hunched shoulders and never made it to their ears. 

Reiner again sat with Bertholdt, both feeling reasonably prepared for the check. He thought back on the afternoon, digesting everything that happened.

He was able to figure out the mechanisms almost instinctively, using the practice gear for just an hour before sure in his ability to pass with flying colors. Reiner had used the remaining training time carefully observing the remainder of his fellow recruits. Because all of the others were too engrossed in either trying not to end up dangled upside down in their gear or trying to help others in that endeavor, he was able to observe without too many people noticing.

He stood near Bertholdt and helped the towering man back to his feet after a failed attempt, keeping his eyes moving across the grounds slowly all the while. Bertholdt finally was able to get himself into a hovering position and hold it, when Reiner’s eyes landed once again on the blue eyed boy who sparked such an interest yesterday. 

Eren was shaking with rage, kicking the dirt around him as his two companions tried their best to calm him, gesturing to the belt around his hips.

“Hey, what? Where are you going?” Bertholdt’s voice got quieter until Reiner could no longer hear his questions. He had unconsciously moved towards Eren’s group and before he realized it, two of them were staring up at him with questioning gazes. Eren was too preoccupied with another attempt at the ODM gear to notice the extra spectator until he heard Reiner’s voice.

“Uh- I saw you were having difficulty and I thought I’d offer my help. If you want.” The other two just glanced back and forth between Eren and Reiner.

The woman narrowed her eyes slightly, “Shouldn’t you be offering to help your friend?”

“He just got it,” Reiner hooked his thumb back over his shoulder, gesturing to the hovering Bertholdt who was being lowered to the ground so someone else could practice.

The woman opened her mouth again, supposedly about to decline his offer again when a thud had them all turning their attention to the ground. Eren was upside down again, face in the dirt, frustrated growl rumbling through his chest.

The woman turned the lever that lowered Eren’s hips back down, so that he was on all fours, still fisting the dirt in frustrations. She began walking back over, looking like she was going to help him back up, but paused seeing the Reiner had already leaned down and offered his hand. Eren looked at it for a moment, glancing up at Reiner with brows furrowed, but decided to let the bigger man help him to his feet. 

“Thanks Reiner, but I think I’ll be okay with Armin and Mikasa helping me for now.” Eren gestured at the two people he was always hanging around.

Reiner nodded and without another word, walked back over to Bertholdt, who had been watching the scene unfold. The tall man just shook his head and turned to help another recruit who took the stand he had been using earlier.

A sharp clattering noise pulled Reiner from his musings about the afternoon, bringing him back to the dining hall. He looked up just in time to see Eren storming out of the building with Mikasa following closely after him. Armin was cleaning the mess left of their table. Reiner realized the noize he heard must have been Eren slamming his tray full of food and dishware down on the table. Poor Armin, Reiner thought. It must be a common thing for him to clean up after Eren and Mikasa, seeing how he scoops up the remains of their dinner without a second thought. 

Armin looked up after he finished tidying the table, noticing Reiner’s eyes on him. Reiner held up a couple fingers in a half hearted wave. Armin gave a small smile back and nodded at the large man before leaving to find his friends.

“Bertholdt, let's go on a walk with Eren’s group.” Reiner nodded towards the retreating blond head. At Bertholdt’s skeptical glance Reiner reminded him that to find their target, they are going to need allies. The lanky man murmured an agreement and they followed Armin into the night, trying to catch up to the others.

It took a little convincing to get those three to agree to the walk, but eventually, despite Mikasa’s insistence on going to bed early so Eren could rest for training tomorrow, they all turned towards the woods. They made small talk, and eventually Reiner and Bertholdt launched into their rehearsed stories about the tragedies their hometown faced because of the titan attack. 

Reiner noted how empathetic Armin looked throughout the tale. Mikasa on the other hand, looked like she wasn’t interested in their traumatic tale. Reiner didn’t particularly care about those two reactions to his tale. He glanced at Eren out of the corner of his eye, trying to determine the dark haired man’s reaction, but he saw that Eren seemingly didn’t pay attention, rather he stared down at the dirt shuffling under his feet.

Eren sulked as they climbed the hill towards the overhang. A pang shot through Reiner’s chest - of what he wasn’t exactly sure, but he knew he wanted to replace that look with something more optimistic. 

Before they knew it, the trees thinned, revealing a beautiful moonlit scene. They all stared at the glittering lake below them, trying to let the peace of the moment settle over them.

“I won’t stop trying, but if I fail again tomorrow, I just wanted to say it was nice to meet you guys.” Eren looked over at Bertholdt, and then up at Reiner standing next to him.

“Just check your equipment and readjust your belts. You’ll do fine.” His hand moved unconsciously to brush some hair out of Eren’s eyes. His eyes widened and he looked at Reiner, who snatched his hand back and blushed. 

“Yeah, thanks.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. A Training Montage?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get down and dirty. Literally. Like they're down.... they... They're in the dirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cue montage music*

As the weeks of training turned into months, Reiner and Eren slowly began spending more time together. At the beginning of a training session, Reiner and Bertholdt would be easily spotted practicing together, but they were both seemingly proficient enough in all areas to get done training early almost every day. They would split ways, Bertholdt hanging back and silently watching the others, or occasionally offering his help to Sasha and Connie (and boy did they need the help), while Reiner would inch his way towards Eren’s group, some days more aware of his actions than others. Eren and Armin would greet him welcomingly, while Mikasa would nod, acknowledging his presence, and leave it at that. She wasn’t being outright hostile, so he would take it. Reiner had a feeling that he would never want to see the day where that hostility would be directed at him, and shuddered at the thought of her stoic face twisting with rage.

One day, during sparring practice, Reiner had walked up to Eren and suggested that they partner up. 

Mikasa immediately interjected, “What about Bertholdt? Are you going to just leave him alone?”

Reiner turned to Mikasa, but before he could begin to think of a response, Armin spoke up.

“Mikasa, they always pair up for training. It’s probably a good thing that they practice with other people so they can fight with someone who doesn’t know their fighting style well. How else is Reiner going to find holes in his attacks and defenses? And besides, it looks like someone already grabbed Bertholdt as a partner anyway.”

He pointed over Mikasa’s shoulder and they all looked towards the towering man, who was being dragged away by Jean to find an open area to practice. Reiner snickered at the look on Bertholdt’s face, knowing that he was going to be intimidated by Jean’s large personality the whole time they worked together.

When Reiner had turned back around, Armin was dragging her away, saying something about how they were going to go find new partners as well and thanks for the idea.

He shifted his gaze towards Eren, who had already taken up a defensive stance, ready for the first attack from Reiner. All he could think was,  _ this is going to be fun. _

Okay so maybe it wasn’t as fun as he thought it was going to be. Reiner groaned from his position on the ground. Sure, he won the first few scuffles, successfully landing Eren face first in the dirt multiple different ways, but he noticed that anger was quickly building in Eren, and he couldn’t tell if it was directed at him for knocking Eren down so many times, or if it was directed at himself for not being better at tackling the beefy man. Reiner had paused the sparring to show Eren, step by step, a tackle that should be able to take down someone much larger than him, and if used correctly, should be able to take down Reiner himself. The proof in just how true that statement was was in the middle of pulling himself off of the ground, clutching the back of his head where it had smacked the dirt.

“Good job Eren.” Reiner grunted.

Eren just stood and smiled, the pride in himself at being able to bring down the brick of a man before him was very evident on his face. Reiner’s heart thudded at the sight, then he frowned. Why should he care if Eren is proud of himself? He looked around the training ground for a distraction when he spotted Annie standing by herself at the edge of the grounds.  _ Perfect. _

“Alright Eren, time for a challenge.” He clapped his hand on Eren’s shoulder as he walked away. He grabbed Annie by the wrist - a very dangerous thing to do, as she was more likely to break your nose for grabbing her than to follow. She must have been in a gracious mood that day, because she followed with nothing more than narrowed eyes. Disdain passed over her features when she realized she was being brought over to Eren.

“Eren here said he could take you easily.” Reiner smiled down at the two of them, and Annie cocked her head, focusing her cool gaze on Eren. Eren looked at Reiner, thoughts clearly written on his face,  _ what the fuck dude?! _ Before he could try to clear his name, Annie lunged forward and swung her foot, striking Eren behind the knee, making him crumble to the ground. He grunted, and strained to get back up, when Annie grabbed his shoulders. She hooked her foot around his leg and pushed, using the momentum generated to slam him on the ground with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs.

Annie looked between Eren and Reiner with a bored look on her face. “There. Are we done now?” 

Reiner was about to dismiss her since she gave him enough of a distraction to calm his pounding heart, but he heard a cool voice from the ground.

“You know Annie, the only reason I was talking shit is because Reiner said you weren’t as tough as you look.”

Annie rolled her eyes, and the next thing they knew, Reiner was on the ground next to Eren, groaning from the blow.

“Guess he was wrong.”

She brushed her hands off on her pants as the men slowly got up.

“You should really stop trying so hard Eren.” She looked down her nose at him. “No one here is taking this training seriously. I don’t know why you are. What do you think hand-to-hand combat is going to do against a titan? Jack shit.”

Eren started to bristle at the tactless comment, but took a deep breath to calm himself instead. A smart choice in Reiner’s eyes; an explosive retort would have landed him back in the dirt.

“It might not mean a lot to you, but it does to me. So I’m going to work hard, that’s it.”

Annie rolled her eyes again and walked away, not deining to listen to him anymore.

Training continued, and as the day went on they switched partners for more practice. Reiner kept glancing over at Eren, completely ignoring the idiotic sounds coming from Connie as he raised his arms and jumped from one foot to the other. Sasha doubled over in laughter at his antics. Why did he join their group again? Reiner rubbed his temples. At least it gave him time to watch the sparring grounds.

Eren was paired up with Jean this time, and after a few minutes of a stalemate, Eren was able to get an arm around Jean’s shoulders. The next move seemed to happen in slow motion. Eren tucked his foot against the back of Jean’s legs, and kicked, letting the momentum slam Jean down to the ground. Reiner barely prevented his jaw from dropping. That move was the same one Annie had used to tackle both Eren and him earlier, a move that Eren had never seen before, and he was able to use it in an almost identical manner to Annie already? Reiner tore his eyes away from the scene and looked over at Annie, whose eyebrows had lifted in surprise. If Eren could learn that quickly, he might be a threat. All the more reason to get close and keep an eye on him.

The weeks continued to pass, and Reiner and Eren began spending more and more time training together. Reiner started to feel a sense of pride in watching Eren improve so much under his tutelage. He could feel Mikasa’s eyes drill holes into his back whenever Eren laughed during practice, but he was unaware of just exactly how close she was watching him. 

One day Mikasa asked Reiner to spar with her, surprising Eren, Armin and Reiner.

“Uh okay.” They moved to an empty spot and began sparring. They went at it for a few minutes, breaking a sweat, but neither of them were able to get the upper hand. Reiner straightened when they were both gasping for air, and Mikasa took a swig of water from her canteen. 

“What do you want with Eren?”

Reiner paused in taking his own drink and looked down at her with a confused look. “What do you mean? We train together. I don’t really understand your question.”

With a heavy sigh she said, “Look, just make sure you don’t hurt him, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Reiner frowned and thought that was an unfair request. There’s no way Eren won’t get at least a little hurt if he wants to make the most out of their training.

Mikasa watched Reiner carefully, and then scoffed muttering, “I guess all men are clueless idiots then.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, suuuuure Reiner. The only reason you want to get closer to Eren is to keep an eye on him. Okay. Men really are idiots when it comes to emotions.
> 
> I'm having a debate with myself, so if I could get your opinion, that would be great. Would you guys rather I update chapter by chapter as I get done with them? Or would you rather I wait until I have a few chapters ready to post, and drop 2-3 at a time?


	5. The Thing About Marco Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Reiner have a little talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing about Marco is that he's a lot more emotionally intelligent than Reiner or Eren. Too bad the one he has his eyes on is.. well.. you'll see.

Bertholdt abruptly stood from the table, cutting Reiner off.

“I told you, I don’t want to hear about Eren. You know how I feel about that,” He exhaled heavily, looking down at his clenched fists before looking back up at Reiner. “I don’t want to hear it unless it’s actually important for helping us reach our goal.”

Reiner scowled at the table and Bertholdt stalked away with tense shoulders. It’s true that Bertholdt had come to him one night with his concerns. He was disappointed with Reiner and told him to stop seeking Eren out, but the thing is, Reiner doesn’t know if that’s possible at this point. He can’t stop himself from wanting Eren’s strangely captivating company, and he doesn’t know that he wants to try. He truly enjoyed the petulant hothead for reasons that danced just outside of his grasp.

In his peripheral vision, he saw someone approach, and was about to apologize to Bertholdt for upsetting him, promising to keep Eren’s name out of his mouth for the rest of the night, when he looked up to see an unexpected recruit instead.

Marco stood across the table from Reiner, dinner tray in his hands. “Do you mind if I sit?”

Reiner gestured to the spot in response, and Marco smiled wide and sat.

“What’s up Marco?” Reiner had no idea why the freckled man had approached him. They didn’t tend to speak much outside of whenever they happened to partner up for training - and that didn’t happen often since Reiner preferred to work with Bertholdt, Eren or someone who could actually put up a challenge for him.

“I just wanted to talk. Hang out a bit, you know?” Marco shrugged with a lopsided smile. He looked down at the table and picked at the skin around his nails before looking back up at Reiner, who still hadn’t responded other than to nod. 

Marco let his eyes follow Reiner’s line of sight, and said, “So you and Eren seem to be getting close, huh?” 

Reiner hadn’t realized that his eyes had drifted across the room to where Eren was sitting, back turned towards him. He stiffened a little in his chair. He noted that this is the third person to imply that something was happening between the two.  _ I mean sure,  _ he thought,  _ we train together a lot, and are spending more and more time together. _ He glanced down at his hands that were fisted together on the table.  _ And I guess I get excited to see him, and I think about him a lot… But surely that doesn’t mean anything. Right? _

Marco reached across the table, brushing his hand atop one of Reiner’s fists. “I know how frustrating it can be when you like someone and nothing is really happening between you two. Trust me I know.” Marco deadpanned the last sentence and nodded, gesturing with the tilt of his head towards someone behind Reiner. 

He shifted in his seat just enough to see who Marco was gesturing to, and spied Jean leaning down at the table Krista and Ymir were at, saying something with a stupid look on his face that he probably thought was attractive. Krista blushed profusely and brought her hands up to her chest at whatever he said. Ymir had a bigger reaction, throwing her drink in his face, and draping her free arm over Krista protectively, who tried to apologize to Jean while Ymir just sneered. Reiner heard Marco sigh as Jean straightened and wiped his face with a dry portion of his shirt. Jean’s eyes snapped up at the sound, eyes instantly finding Marco’s and his face darkened in color, more embarrassed that Marco saw the spectacle than he was that he had a drink thrown on him. Jean turned and left quickly.

Reiner turned back to Marco, whose face was twisted with unsurprised disappointment at Jean’s actions. His eyes were still on Jean’s retreating form through the window and Reiner could see a hopeless kind of longing shine in them before Marco turned his attention back to Reiner. 

The large man was a little uncomfortable with the very clear emotions radiating off of Marco, so he let his eyes wander across the room briefly. He noticed Eren had paused in the middle of rising from his seat to leave his table, eyes glued to Reiner’s hands with a strange glint of anger - and jealousy? - bubbling up behind them. Only then did Reiner feel that Marco’s hand was still atop his. He quickly removed his hands, placing them on his lap under the table. Eren met Reiner’s eyes for a split second, and then kept moving, following Armin, and Mikasa - had also been looking at Reiner’s hands - out of the mess hall. 

“Sorry,” Reiner said, a little embarrassed at his actions, especially since Marco had watched the silent interaction between Eren and him. “I, uh.. I don’t -”

Marco cut him off with a raised hand. “You don’t need to explain yourself if you’re not ready. I just wanted to let you know I understand how you might be feeling, and I’m here if you want to talk about it.” Marco’s eyes shifted to where Bertholdt was sitting silently next to Annie, glaring at his cup. “Especially if you feel like no one else will listen.”

Reiner’s shoulders tensed at the accusation aimed at Bertholdt, but he relaxed after he admitted to himself that it would be nice to have someone to talk to about his confusing feelings about Eren. His feelings for Eren? He didn’t know if there was a difference between the two, but he was starting to think that there was.

“Thanks Marco. But there’s nothing going on between Eren and I.”

Marco’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief, but didn’t tease, instead rushing with, “Oh okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump to conclusions.” He leaned forward to pat Reiner’s shoulder, and then sat back down with a smile. Silence fell over them, and while it wasn’t uncomfortable, Reiner felt like he should try and say something anyway. A devious smile crept over his face and he chuckled.

“So... Jean, huh?” 

There was a thump that sounded from under the table and Reiner grunted. They both laughed, the little tension that had crept up during the short conversation dissipating with ease.

The two men finished the rest of their meals in amiable silence. Marco stood first, and said, “If you ever want to talk about your non-existent relationship with Eren, let me know. Later.” He waved and walked away with a crooked smile on his face.

Reiner waved back and got up to put his tray away, puzzling over his conversion with Marco. He didn’t like Eren. Surely that’s not what this feeling in his chest was. Reiner rubbed a hand over his heart in response to his pulse picking up once again. He frowned, and decided not to think about it for the rest of the night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean's an idiot. Krista and Ymir are gay. Marco is a precious bean. Reiner is clueless. And Eren is.. jealous? Did I miss anything?
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know how I'm doing in the comments!


	6. Lingering Touches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner and Marco discuss Reiner's interactions with Eren, and Reiner comes to a conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy some more friendly interactions between Reiner and Marco! Honestly so far, the scenes with Marco have been my favorite to write.

Weeks of training continued to fly by. Marco and Reiner slowly became more comfortable around each other, but Reiner noticed it was a different kind of comfortable than the feelings he had for Eren. With Marco, he felt a sense of camaraderie; he could be a confidant for things that Reiner can’t really talk to Bertholdt about anymore. And with each passing day, that list of things grew and grew. In fact, it became a more common sight to see Bertholdt sitting silently with Annie, than laughing with Reiner anymore. Sure, they would meet up during dinner for a moment of silent communication, but nothing would happen. Reiner would walk past Bertholdt’s table (or vice versa). They would make eye contact, Reiner would shake his head, and Bertholdt would scowl and turn away. To anyone else it would look like they had gotten in a fight that they both refused to apologize for. Bertholdt had indifferently told him that he was irritated because they’ve found no leads during the almost two years they had already spent here, but Reiner knew that Bertholdt’s cold silence had more to do with the fact that he was growing close to Eren than it was about finding nothing to further their mission.

Marco was doing wonders to fill the hole that Bertholdt’s absence was leaving. Things continued to develop between Reiner and Eren, and Reiner hesitantly opened up to the freckled man. He had noticed that in the past few weeks he and Eren had begun  _ touching _ more. Reiner was fairly sure that the contact was platonic until he mentioned it to Marco.

“I’m not so sure about that, Reiner.” He said with a growing smile and a shake of his head. He clapped his hand on Reiner’s shoulder a few times. “This is a platonic touch. What you’re telling me sounds like something more.”

Reiner’s face bunched up in confusion. He doesn’t really understand the difference.  _ I mean Eren’s touched my shoulder just like that plenty of times. _ He looked down at the ground like studying the lines in the dirt would explain the complexities of interactions to him. 

Marco saw the frown form on the large man’s face, and huffed out a breath, tipping his head back for a moment to think of a better way to explain it.

“Okay, think about it like this. I touch you a lot right? But it’s not just you. I reach out to all of my friends because I like showing my friendship through physical contact. And when I touch you,” Marco punched Reiner’s arm playfully, “neither of us  _ feel _ anything. Right?”

Marco brought up a good point; whenever he noticed the freckled man hanging out with someone after dinner or during free time, he’d always be throwing an arm around that person’s shoulder, or ruffling up their hair, or sitting so close to them that their legs touch, or even sitting on the ground in front of them so they can play with his hair. Reiner hesitated, thinking about the spot Marco just hit. It didn’t make him feel any kind of way, especially since he was so used to Marco hanging off of him. “Right.” 

“Now think about Eren. Do you ever see him touching anyone?” 

Reiner opened his mouth but Marco quickly amended, “Other than in a physical fight.”

Reiner’s eyes narrowed, closing his mouth. He thought about it for a moment, and his eyes widened a fraction with a realization. Eren really didn’t like people touching him. Whenever he saw Marco try to initiate contact, it would leave Eren red in the face with anger before he stomped off (even Eren didn’t want to hurt the very likable Marco). The few times he saw Mikasa or Armin touch Eren was either during the brief time they would offer him a hand up from the ground, or Eren would stiffen almost imperceptibly under their touch - well, it was imperceptible unless someone watched him all the time to be able to catch the difference. Eren allowed the contact, but was uncomfortable with it.

During the past few weeks of training however, Reiner and Eren had been making plenty of contact. It started as accidental brushing up against each other’s arms when they stood too close during training or in the food line. But it slowly grew to interactions like Eren punching Reiner even when they weren’t fighting. It hurt because Eren didn’t always remember to pull back, but Reiner could tell there was no malice behind the playful hits. Lately, Reiner had picked up a habit of brushing Eren’s hair out of his eyes. They both blushed the first time the large man did it that night by the overhang. Reiner hadn’t been thinking, but Eren had allowed it even then, looking towards the ground instead of yelling. 

Reiner was the only one that Eren went out of his way to touch, and was the only one other than Mikasa or Armin, who had both known him since childhood, that he allowed to touch him freely as well.

“See what I mean?” Marco chuckled after a few minutes of silence, figuring that Reiner had come to the same conclusion. “And when you guys interact, how does it make you feel?”

“I’m not sure..” Reiner said slowly. “It’s hard to describe… A lot of the time, I don’t know what I’m doing until Eren is reacting. He feels like… a magnet. I got caught in his pull without realizing it and now I’m stuck.” Reiner frowned a little. “But I think I like it. He makes me nervous, but in a good way. And when he brushes a hand against my skin,” he trailed the tips of his fingers up his forearm, “it feels nice. Really nice.”

Reiner looked up just then, to catch Marco’s face darkening slightly. “Damn dude, you got it bad.” He snickered and pulled Reiner’s head down in a headlock, grinding his other fist into Reiner’s skull. 

They struggled and laughed for a minute before Reiner pulled himself free with a lighthearted smile. Marco got up and waved, he had promised Jean to play a round of cards before dinner, so he had to get going. Reiner took a deep breath after Marco was out of ear shot. Talking with him always left him feeling so much better about these confusing matters. He was starting to think Marco was right. He really did have it bad, and now he only had to worry about if Eren felt the same way or not.

Reiner stood from the bench as well, stretching before heading over to the mess hall to visit with some others before dinner. He was unaware of the figure who had been watching the whole conversation with Marco from one of the barrack windows. Eren quietly simmered; each touch that Reiner shared with Marco irritated him more and more. It felt like a competition for Reiner’s attention at this point, and Eren was determined not to lose. He wondered briefly if this was just a distraction for the real reason he wanted to get close. Whatever the reasoning, Eren knew that he wanted  _ more _ , so more was what he was going to get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh I think it's gonna start getting spicy up in here.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. By The Light of the Dying Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Reiner share an intimate moment by the fireside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, here we go. 
> 
> Very short nsfw at the end of the chapter.

Every so often, the 104th cadet corps would trek out to various locations to train in different kinds of terrain. During those outings, the cadets would live out of their own tent, which made any semblance of privacy almost non-existent. The training that took place throughout their visit would be more intense than when they were back at base. Afterall, they had a limited amount of time to practice in these new conditions, so they had to make the most of it while they could.

Reiner must have pulled something in his shoulder during training that day. He sat near the dying fire, trying his best to massage away the throbbing ache. A frustrated groan left his lips as his actions did almost nothing to bring relief.

“I- uh, could help.. If you want.” Eren made his way from the tents over to where Reiner sat alone. 

He was surprised; it was late and he thought that everyone else had already retired for the night. Reiner made a habit of being the last one up while away from base to decompress from his idiotic comrades. He wouldn’t get any solitary time otherwise.

“No, Eren, I’m fi-” 

“Really it’s no problem,” Eren interrupted. Reiner couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just a trick of the light, but Eren’s face seemed to darken a bit as his hand went up to rub the back of his neck. He took a moment to look at the ground, firewood popping in the background, then slowly, he looked back up at Reiner through his lashes.

Reiner just stared, a little shocked at the insistence from the normally selfishly motivated individual. “Uh, okay, if you want to..” He turned back to the fire and waited for Eren to approach.

His touch was firm but more gentle than Reiner was expecting. Eren expertly kneaded the large shoulders in front of him, giving his whole attention to the entire upper part of his back. His thumb glided across a particularly sore spot, bringing a hiss to Reiner’s lips. The muscle slowly relaxed, and relief took over the feeling of uncomfortable pressure quickly.

The burly man let out a gravely sigh, focused so completely on the absence of tension in his shoulder that he almost missed the quiet, sharp intake of breath that sounded near his ear. He slowly turned to face Eren, who let his hands stay connected to his body.

What Reiner was unaware of during the massage was the budding intrigue of the man behind him. Eren was transfixed on how the muscles of his back fluttered with every breath Reiner took. He tried to focus on the task he had volunteered to perform, but the low light of the dying fire and the warm night made this activity feel a lot more intimate than he had anticipated. Eren shook his head and pressed his thumb into a spot that felt particularly tight and Reiner had let out a sound that sent electricity through his skin. The tiny noises that Reiner had been unconsciously making before were nothing compared to that and the low, almost inaudible moan he had just let out. Eren couldn’t help but respond in turn, his pulse roaring in his ears.

When Reiner had turned and made eye contact with the younger man, a furious blush made its way across both faces. This was the most intimate they had ever been with each other and Reiner’s mind was racing. He realized that he enjoyed Eren’s confident touch, and wondered how it would feel if those hands just kept... wandering.

Reiner studied Eren’s eyes; they were glinting in the dark from the firelight, and for a moment he thought he also saw a spark of something else ignite behind them. Eren shifted under Reiner’s gaze - the burly man was unaware of just how intense his eyes could be, especially when tension was building in the air around them. Eren swallowed and was suddenly very aware of how his hands were still resting on the shoulders of the man who was now facing him, but before he could do anything, Reiner grabbed one, not breaking eye contact, and began rubbing circles into his palm.

“Thanks Eren. That felt really nice.”

“I- uh. No problem man.” Eren’s voice was just slightly above a whisper, causing Reiner to lean forward in his seat to hear him better over the pops of the dying fire. Eren couldn’t help but glance down at his lips, eyes drawn by the movement of a tongue darting out to lick the fullness of his bottom lip.

As if on instinct, Reiner pulled slightly on the hand he was holding, coaxing Eren closer in between his thighs, but that small movement snapped him out of whatever daze he was in. Eren quickly removed his hand from Reiner’s soft grasp and muttered out an excuse to leave, tugging down the hem of his shirt. He turned and swiftly walked back to his tent.

He burst through his tent and sat on his bed roll, and stared down at the seat of his pants. He was hard. Eren grappled with the fastenings on his pants, pulling himself free of the constricting fabric with a little difficulty. He was frantic to take release with the memory of Reiner’s firm, twitching muscles and gravelly voice still fresh in his mind.

He was leaking precum by the time he fisted himself. Eren bit his lip, trying to muffle the wimpers breaking free from his chest. He pumped his fist faster along his slippery length, feeling that pressure build deep inside. He spilled his release to the thought of clawing Reiner’s broad back, ropes of cum lashing against his chest like the welts he wanted to leave on Reiner. 

Eren took a moment to catch his breath before realizing what he just did. Shit, he thought to himself. He looked down at his limp dick.  _ This is what I want from Reiner? Really?  _ He cleaned himself up and laid down to sleep, trying to put those thoughts out of his head for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Eren really CAME to his own conclusion, didn't he?
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you want to leave a comment to let me know what you think so far that would be awesome!


	8. Waiting, Watching and Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren decides it's time that he learns a little more about Reiner before he makes a move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes from Eren's POV this time, but don't get used to it! I want to keep the story from Reiner's POV as much as I can. Enjoy!

After that night, Eren was having a hard time keeping the large man out of his thoughts. His mind frequently wandered back to the wide expanse of muscles on Reiner’s back that twitched and pulled under his hands. Those daydreams more often than not sent blood rushing straight to his groin, and he would have to discreetly readjust himself in the middle of whatever training exercise they were supposed to be focusing on. When he had free time, Eren would stiff leg his way back to his bunk or deeper into the woods or behind an isolated building and glare at the physical manifestation of what was rapidly becoming an obsession. He would work out those feelings, fix his clothes, and go back to where all the other recruits were gathered, trying not to let his eyes linger on the subject of his fixations and ultimately fail.

Eren studied Reiner from behind his mug, frustration with himself building with every breath. Why couldn’t he control himself around that man? He’s never felt like this before, not even when Mikasa had confessed that she liked him during the years after Wall Maria fell. He never blamed her for developing feelings; their whole world had turned upside down and the only thing they had left was each other, how could they not grow closer? They all had fought, tooth and nail, to survive until the day they all were 18 so that they could give themselves a more stable future through the scouts. Many nights, the three of them had huddled together for warmth. They shared the little food they managed to come by - it was never enough to satisfy their hunger fully, but it was enough that they didn't starve. Eren remembers the countless fists he endured to protect the other two from vultures who tried to steal what little they had or repugnant swine who had tried to take advantage of any of them. If he hadn’t grown closer to Armin and Mikasa through their trials growing up, he would have worried that there was something inherently wrong with him.

Eren’s gaze refocused on Reiner, looking for something - anything - that he could identify as a reason for these quickly developing feelings. He really only had his experiences with Armin and Mikasa for reference of why he cared for people. The thing was though, he and Reiner didn’t have a past of shared trauma that pulled them together. Sure, everyone here had been affected by the fall of Wall Maria, but he hadn’t seen their journey. He didn’t know their individual pain, and frankly he didn’t want to. He had had enough of that to last a lifetime. 

Eren contemplated other reasons for his attraction through a bite of his dinner which was growing cold. Reiner’s defined features crept up in his mind. There was something… mysterious about him; he was like an unsolved puzzle - an enigma that could only be reached by someone with the willpower to crack the code. Eren looked up at Reiner then, determining exactly what it was that was enamoring him so deeply. He wanted to unveil the mysteries that surrounded the large man; he wanted to be the one who cracked the code, and he wanted to watch Reiner open up under his touch - to bend so far that he almost broke. A daydream of Reiner’s flushed face plowed it’s way to the forefront of Eren’s mind. The large man’s lips were parted in pleasure and he let his head fall back. Eren could almost see his name ghosting across those generous lips, imagining what it would sound like coming out in a gravely moan.

_ That’s it. I will have Reiner _ , Eren focused on the world around him once again, searching for the person who was haunting his mind, only to find him halfway out the door of the mess hall.

He finished the rest of his meal slowly, forcing himself not to stalk after the object of his fantasies. He would have plenty of time to get to know Reiner better. And he planned to get to know Reiner  _ very well _ .

* * *

Eren began to watch Reiner carefully whenever they weren’t together during training or free time. It quickly became clear that the blond man followed a pretty predictable routine. He would be one of the first to wake, often spending the solitary early morning watching the sun rise with a contemplative look on his face. During training, Reiner would always situate himself on the edge of the group. Eren noticed that Reiner seemed to be watching the rest of the cadets when he wasn’t actively training, like he was searching for an answer that one of their comrades held, but he couldn’t figure out who held the answer or what question to ask. Often (out of the corner of his eyes so that Reiner wouldn’t know about being observed himself) he would see the large man staring at him just as hard. It thrilled Eren to know that Reiner couldn’t take his eyes off of him either. 

During his observations, he watched the strangest interactions between Reiner and Bertholdt. They would be sitting on opposite sides of the mess hall, completely ignoring each other - which was a common sight these days - but then they would look over at each other, and after a few seconds of eye contact, they would take turns shaking their head before going back to ignoring the other. This wasn’t the only strange thing he had noticed about the two. They would constantly dodge questions about their hometown. Eren didn’t blame them about that though, he moved his food around on his plate as he considered this. Hell, he hated talking about his life before the wall fell too.

Another thing Eren noticed was that Marco had become closer to Reiner. The freckled man would jog up to Reiner and the large man would smile, slapping him on the back before launching into conversation. Marco would mostly listen, nodding or shaking his head at whatever Reiner would say. Every once in a while, Marco’s eyes would dart up to Eren, and before Eren could look away he would catch the blue eyed man staring and give him a knowing smile before focusing on the conversation again, or making his exit and heading over to Jean.

Eren wasn’t too happy about Marco, mostly because he wasn’t sure what was happening between the two. But before Eren could work out how to deal with that development, Marco visited his table at dinner one night.

“Hey Armin. Mikasa. Do you guys think I could talk with Eren alone for a minute? It’s kind of important.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes, but Armin grabbed her arm, pulling her up from her chair before she could say anything. “We were done eating anyway. See ya later Eren.”

Marco and Eren watched them leave, and then Marco spoke up with a small smile.

“You and Reiner are a lot more similar than I would have thought.”

This caught Eren off guard. “What do you mean.”

Marco chuckled. “Even though neither of you are subtle, you’re both pretty oblivious.”

Eren’s eyes narrowed, and he breathed through the irritation that surfaced at the lighthearted insult. “What are you to Reiner?”

The freckled man’s grin grew and he shook his head.

“See? That’s what I mean. Eren...” Marco made eye contact with the man across the table. “We’re just friends. He’s an attractive guy, sure, but there’s two things wrong.” Marco held up one finger. “He’s not really my type.” His eyes flick over to the table just behind Eren, and he turned to see Jean making a fool of himself yet again. Eren turned back around to see the look that was sparkling in Marco’s eyes. 

Eren’s eyebrows rose.  _ Good luck with that one, man. _

“Secondly,” Marco’s eyes refocused on Eren after a sigh, “Reiner’s only got eyes for you. I know you’ve caught him staring with how much I’ve seen you watch him yourself. I just don’t understand how you haven’t put two and two together.” Eren bristled, and his face darkened slightly at having been confronted with how much he watched the large man.

“Anyway,” Marco continued, “I just wanted to tell you, you can stop glaring at me because I’m not making any moves. Feel free to ask Reiner yourself if you don’t believe me.” Marco stood with a shrug, then paused, one hand lingering on the edge of the table. He looked back up at Eren and smiled once more. “I hope once you and Reiner figure your shit out we can be friends.”

Eren watched him leave, and got up to do exactly what Marco had suggested. Reiner must have been lost in thought because he didn’t react to being approached until Eren had banged his hands on the table, causing Reiner’s dishes to clatter. The large man jumped, eyes immediately focused on Eren with a confused look. 

Eren took a breath, “What is Marco to you?”

Reiner’s brows furrowed at the unexpected question and the subtle hostility radiating off of Eren. “We’re… friends…” he says slowly.

Eren’s gaze shifted back and forth between Reiner’s eyes, searching for any hint of dishonesty. “So there’s nothing going on between you two?”

“No.” Reiner brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I mean… He’s really nice, and I enjoy spending time with him but…” He glanced up at Eren briefly before his face reddened and he dropped his gaze again. “He’s not exactly the one I’m interested in.”

Eren straightened, taken back at the clear vulnerability Reiner was showing with his insinuation. “Oh. I- uh.” Eren cleared his throat. “Okay”

“Okay. 

There was a moment’s silence before Eren turned on his heel and walked out of the mess hall. He needed to sort through what he just learned. Apparently Reiner was… interested in him. A smile slowly spread across his face as he made his way to where Mikasa and Armin would be waiting for him, and he made a promise to himself.  _ Next time the opportunity comes, I’ll make a move. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter was so fun to write!! I just have to edit it and then it's done, so expect it sometime tomorrow or the day after.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Reiner Talks Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner talks too much, and Eren helps him shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go

“Eren.” The word was uttered like a command, seething out of Reiner’s lips.

Both men locked eyes for a moment, completely disregarding the rest of the recruits gathered around the blazing fire. Eren rose from his seat, and Reiner turned his back, leading him away. Mikasa had tensed at the tone Reiner used, ready to jump up and defend Eren if a fight broke out, but Armin laid his hand on her forearm with a shake of his head. The two of them chatting alone was a common enough sight to see these days that no one really put much thought into them wandering off together again. Even Mikasa knew that it's almost impossible to have a conversation with Eren and not want to use a curt tone with him (and that’s being generous). She settled down without much of a fight, but kept an ear out for telltale sounds of Eren’s yelling just in case it devolved from civility.

Reiner led Eren through the lines of barracks until they were far enough away from the fire pits that he was sure they could have some privacy. 

“What do you want, Reiner? I was kinda-” Eren’s breath left him in a grunt. Reiner had fisted the collar of his shirt and slammed Eren up against a barrack wall. Eren’s shock lasted a mere moment before the familiar rage began to build. He looked up at the taller man, a snarl on his lips, but the look on Reiner’s face threw a bucket of cold water over that spark of anger that had begun to grow.

Reiner was furious. Eren had never seen the blond man’s face twist like that before as he was more prone to never show real emotion anyway.

“Do you realize how idiotic - how careless, how DANGEROUS - your moves were this afternoon? You could have hurt so many people today. YOU could have gotten seriously injured. You know what happens if you get maimed during training right? They send you away as a failed candidate.” 

Reiner’s low voice almost made hearing his frustrations worse. Eren was so used to being hurled insults at an earsplitting volume; this was so much worse. The anger began to spark again.

“Reiner, I know. Sadies chewed me out already. Now get off of me,” Eren shoved Reiner’s hands, still locked up in his shirt, away as best he could. “I’m going back.”

Reiner had stumbled back half a step, but was by no means done with the man in front of him. He thought back to this afternoon, about how paralyzed he had become seeing Eren move that way. Seeing him fall like that. Reiner shook his head and steeled his gaze. He still had more to say and Eren was going to fucking listen whether he wanted to or not.

One of Reiner’s hands found purchase in Eren’s wrinkled shirt again, shoving him back against the wall with a thud. His other hand slammed against the wall near Eren’s head, giving him no room to move.

“I’m not done.” Reiner said, anger beginning to dissolve the even tone he desperately clung to. The taller man paused and looked down at Eren, gaze flicking back and forth between his eyes, trying to determine if he would let him say his peace without a fight or not.

Eren seethed in Reiner’s grip, breath coming out in huffs, but he made no moves to escape from that hand. Once Reiner was satisfied, even through Eren’s glare, he pulled back slightly and opened his mouth to begin his lecture.

The shorter man lunged at Reiner, hands going for his neck. Reiner began reflexively responding to the sensed threat, but Eren was faster in the small space between them. His hands reached around and grabbed the tall man by the hair on the nape of his neck, pulling him down and crashing their lips together. 

Reiner’s mouth was still parted, though now in shock that it wasn’t a fight that Eren had started. The dark haired man took advantage of that and slipped his tongue in Reiner’s mouth. Reiner groaned at the intrusion and his grip loosened on Eren’s collar, and instead found purchase on his hip, pulling him against his own body. 

Their tongues twisted, dancing around Reiner’s mouth, before Eren pulled back for a breath. Reiner made up for the lost contact by pushing Eren back against the barrack once again, assuring that their bodies were now flush against each other.

Eren could feel the larger man’s growing excitement and felt his blood pound in response. He pulled down on Reiner’s hair again, eliciting a groan and subtle thrust of his hips. Eren caught Reiner’s lower lip firmly between his teeth, giving it a tug with a groan of his own. His tongue darted out and licked the sweet fullness before releasing it. Reiner’s grip tightened even more on Eren’s hip, but neither man paid attention to the bruising force, instead entwining their lips once more.

Reiner snaked the hand that had been against the wall through Eren’s hair and pulled, yanking the smaller man’s head to the side, breaking the kiss. Eren hissed in a breath and let out a quiet moan.

Reiner began kissing along Eren’s jaw, nipping in some places. Eren’s hands slid from their spot around Reiner’s neck, running down his broad shoulders and over his muscled chest, nails curling against generous pectorals. Reiner’s lips brushed against the soft spot under Eren’s jaw. His pulse jumped when Reiner gently bit into it, sucking the skin into his mouth briefly before continuing down slowly down his neck. 

Each kiss came slower than the last; Reiner spending more time worshiping a spot before moving on to work the next. By the time Reiner reached Eren’s collarbone, both men were panting; the desire to continue electrified the air.

Reiner laid his head on Eren’s shoulder taking big gulps of air, trying to clear his head or else he knew they would need to find somewhere more private. His dick jumped at the thought, still painfully hard and pressed up against Eren’s hip. 

They stayed like that against the wall for a minute, then Reiner straightened, face still flushed, and took a step back, trying to remember what his point was before the interruption. He looked down at Eren, whose eyes glowed in the dim light of the evening, and saw a couple of faint bruises beginning to form low on his neck.

Eren brought a hand up to cover the hickeys, and took one final steadying breath. He met Reiner’s eyes and dropped his hand.

“Look I know. I’ll try to be more careful.”

And without another word, Eren darted around the large man and made his way back through the barracks.

In his bunk later that night, Reiner weighed the consequences of continuing down this path. He tried to make himself remember that he was here for one purpose, but for the life of him he struggled to recall exactly what that reason was. All he could think of was how everytime Eren came in contact with him, he felt less lonely and more like he finally found a place he really belonged. That realization made him softly gasp; even though he’d only known Eren for about a year at this point, he’d never felt safer with someone than he did with that temperamental, spit-fire. 

Sleep crept up on Reiner, still marveling at the strange new ways Eren was making him feel. A small voice in the far corner of his mind whispered low that forming this connection was a self destructive thing to do. He ignored the cautions whispered to him in his dreams, fantasizing about what the future could hold instead.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head empty, only Reiner slamming Eren against a wall.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	10. Wrong Place, Wrong Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has bad timing, and Reiner wishes he was a little less responsible.

After that night by the barracks, Reiner and Eren found themselves embracing more and more often. They would meet behind the barracks, in the woods, at the lake - anywhere where they could have the privacy to explore each other the way they wanted to. At first, the encounters started just as clumsily and abruptly as the night Reiner dragged Eren behind the barracks, and ended much the same way. But, as they became more familiar with each other, that tenderfooted feeling faded. 

Reiner was astonished at just how bold Eren had become in his pursuits. One afternoon, Reiner walked through the training grounds during some downtime, pondering his growing feelings for Eren. Things were developing rapidly between them and Reiner… liked it. He brushed a hand over his lips, lost in thought, when a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. He yelped as he was jerked behind the sole building on the field. His hands curled into fists automatically until he was pulled down into a familiar frenzied kiss. They were stumbling backwards, farther behind the building and into the shadows, tongues intertwining, when they tripped and fell. Reiner landed on his back with a grunt, hands grasping Eren’s waist.

A moment passed as the men panted and stared at each other. Then Eren shifted, lifting himself off of the ground from in between Reiner’s legs, and slowly crawled forward with a hungry look on his face, desire palpable. Reiner watched, eyes rapt on the almost predatory way Eren pulled himself up the large body beneath him, not breaking eye contact. Then, with one leg on either side of Reiner’s hips, Eren sank down, grinding his ass on the large man’s growing erection through their clothing.

Eren leaned down, one hand bunched in Reiner’s collar, the other braced on the ground next to his head. Reiner stared at Eren through heavy lidded eyes, so he was able to see Eren’s eyes lock in on his lips before leaning down to capture them. The kiss immediately deepened, and Reiner’s arms snaked around Eren’s torso, trying to simultaneously pull him closer and stop his hips from spurring on his desire.

Reiner was allowed a moment of reprieve, taking in a deep breath that was exhaled as a groan when Eren’s lips moved to his neck. The large man’s head swam with pleasure, and his hips jerked up once before he forced them to be still. He cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts enough to say, “This- nng - this isn’t a good idea right now, Eren. We need to stop.”

Reiner’s hands squeezed Eren’s hips for a moment before they began to gently push, attempting to get Eren off of his lap.

The smaller man ignored the gesture, choosing instead to drop his hold on Reiner’s collar in exchange for a fisful of golden hair. He pulled, making Reiner crane his head up and to the side, exposing the side of his neck completely. Reiner’s eyes closed and his hands flew up, gripping Eren’s forearms. He let out a loud whine that surprised both of them with how needy it sounded.

Eren’s eyes widened slightly. Something mean sparked behind them, but it was quickly replaced with a smug and lecherous smirk. He leaned down and allowed his lips to drag along the shell of Reiner’s ear.

“Are you sure that’s what you want? Hmm?” he murmured, pulling back slightly, letting his breath tickle Reiner’s cheek. Eren sat up just enough to hover over the large man with some space between their bodies. There was a haughty look in his smiling eyes, and Eren continued, “It doesn’t really seem like it.”

He released Reiner’s hair, and the large man could feel his skin prickle with electricity where Eren drew his fingers down his chest, past his navel, finally landing with a firm grip on his hard cock through Reiner’s pants.

Reiner drew in a sharp breath at the contact, and Eren chuckled before his face turned serious. Eren stroked the generous length and Reiner looked up into the eyes of the man above him.

“What I want is your cock,” Eren’s grip tightened for emphasis and Reiner groaned, “inside me.” Eren removed his hand and sat up to grind his ass down once more, head thrown back.

The large man hissed at the contact and his hands flew to Eren’s rolling hips, stilling his movement, causing Eren to whine in objection. It’s not that he wanted to stop - god how he wished he didn’t have to stop - but they were behind a solitary building on the training grounds, in the middle of the day; this was not exactly an opportune time to keep going, not that Eren seemed to care. Reiner sat up, kissed Eren firmly once more, eyes screwed shut, savoring the contact, before lifting the smaller man off of his lap and standing up.

He held his hand down to Eren, who was still kneeling down on the ground. A devilish smile curled up on Eren’s lips and instead of taking the outstretched hand, he shifted so that he was directly in front of Reiner. He slid his hands up the front of the muscular thighs in front of his face, anchoring his hands on Reiner’s belt. He began pulling himself up, dragging the tip of his nose along the path he made with his hand. He paused when his face was level with Reiner’s groin, nuzzling the bulge that strained behind the constricting fabric of his pants. Eren mouthed a kiss over his tip and gave a small, breathy moan for Reiner’s enjoyment.

Eren chuckled as Reiner choked on his sharp intake of breath at the sensations, and he pulled himself the rest of the way up.

“Alright, then. See ya later Reiner.” Eren slapped Reiner’s ass before he walked away.

Finally able to breathe again after a short coughing fit, Reiner made his way back to where the rest of the recruits were gathering for more instruction. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was in over his head fooling around with Eren like that. He glanced over at the man who just finished rubbing himself all over his body. Eren caught the glance and winked before turning his attention back to whatever Armin was animatedly talking about. Reiner shook his head to clear his thoughts. Did it matter if he was? 

They had been instructed to head to one of the classrooms for more strategy instruction to end their day. This was the thing that Reiner enjoyed doing the least. He always excelled more in the field and found it hard to pay full attention through a lecture on things he was already well versed in. He was zoning out, head in hand, when Marco tapped his shoulder. 

Reiner looked over and saw him slide a piece of paper towards him. He scoffed.  _ What are we, children? _ Marco mouthed the words “from Eren” and pointed over to where Eren stared at them to make sure Reiner read the note.

Reiner rolled his eyes, but unfolded the paper anyway. Only one line was scrawled across the sheet in messy handwriting.

_ Meet me by the lake at midnight. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If that last line wasn't enough of a hint, I got one more spicy chapter coming before getting back into the meat of things.
> 
> Also, if Marco was Eren's hype man I could totally see him screaming Outside by Yvette - https://youtu.be/-5VTO5z4Vyk
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading!!


End file.
